Currycomb.



held in the hand of the hostler.

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. HERSHBERGER, OF LURA'Y, VIRGINIA.

CURRYCOM B.

SEEGIFIICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 698,946, dated April 29, 1902.

Application filed March 6, 1902. Serial No. 96,925. (No model.)

10 the curved outlines of the horse and designed also to permit of the ready cleaning of the teeth of the currycomb from the accumulated mats of loose hair and dirt; and it consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement I 5 of the currycomb for accomplishing these objects in a simple and convenient way, which I will now proceed to describe with reference to the drawings, in which- I Figure 1 is a side view of the currycomb as Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section, and Fig. 3 an inner face view.

. In the drawings, A A represent the two wings of the cnrrycomb, which are hinged together upon'a pintle-rod B, arranged at right angles to the parallel rows of the currycombteeth a, which are formed, as usual, on the edges of sheet-metal flanges.

G is a bowed handle strap or loop, which is pivotally hung at its ends upon the ends of the pintle-rod B outside ofthe edges of the currycomb. This handle-strap is designed to receive the hand of the hostler, as seen in Fig. 1, and it not only serves as a handle to hold 3 5 the currycomb by, but it also acts as a backrest or fulcrum for the hand in bending the currycomb-wings inwardly against springs from a straight plane to an obtuse angle in adapting it to the curved outlines of the horse.

Lying upon each Win g of the currycomb between the flanges and below the level of the teeth there are two cleaner-grids D and D. These consist of bent wire, each bar of which lies close to the flange bearing the teeth.

These gridslie normally back of theline of the teeth, but are arranged to be projected beyond the teeth outwardly to strip from the teeth the adhering mats of hair and dust for cleaning the same. For this purpose the two o cleaner-grids are separately hinged upon the pintle-rod B, and the cleaner-grid which lies on the face of one wing of the currycomb is after two or three wraps or convolutions, as at d, rigidly fastened at its end to the other wing, so that there is rigidly attached together a wing of the currycomb on one side and a grid upon the other, the grid having a slight spring action upon the pintle-rod, by reason of the coils of the wire around the said pintlcrod. These grids serve a double purpose, as they not only act as cleaners, as hereinafter described, but they act also as springs to restore the two wings of the currycomb to a flat plane after theyhave been bent inwardly, as

seen in Fig. 1-that is to say, in bending inwardly the wings to fit the curves of the horse it is necessary to slightly deflect inwardly the spring-grids, and their outward tension against the Wings causes the wings to immediately staightenout whenever the compression of the hand is relaxed. This enables the currycomb to closely follow and nicely adapt itself to the curves of the horse.

For cleaning. the currycomb the wings are forcibly bent backward, as seen in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and then as the grid on one side is rigidly attached to the wing on the other side the turning back of the wings causes their attached grids to pass from the teeth of the two opposite wings and dislodges the matted hair. To facilitate this bending back of the wings, they are each provided at one side, or at both sides, if desired,with projecting thumb-pieces e e, which are seized between the thumb and forefinger to accomplish this result.

In constructing the loop or bail-shaped handle it is preferably to belined or upholstered .with leather to render it soft to the hand, and

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters after having been deflected substantially as described. I 1

3. A currycomb made in two sections hinged together in the middle upon an axis at right angles to the rows of teeth, springs for restoring these wings to a normal flat plane after having been deflected. and a loop or receiver for the hand arranged upon the back of the cnrrycomb to give a purchase for compressing the wings inwardly against the springs substantially as described.

4. Acurrycomb madein two sectionshinged together in the middle upon an axis at rightangles to the rows of teeth, combined with two cleaner-grids arranged to turn about the same axis substantially as described.

5. A currycomb made in two sections hinged together in the middle line upon an axis at right angles to the rows, of teeth,reach of said sections having an attached set of cleanergrids arranged to lie vbeneath the teeth of the opposite section substantially as described.

6. A currycomb made in two sections hinged together in the middle upon an axis at right angles to'the rows of teeth, and two sets of cleaner-grids attached,one to each'cnrrycombsection, and wound about the axis so as to act also as springs for controlling the movement of the currycomb-sections substantially as described.

7. Acurrycomb madein two sections hinged together in the middle upon an axis at right angles to the rows of teeth, two sets of cleanergrids attached to the said sections and-arranged to turn about the same axis, and thumb-pieces attached to the hinged sections to permit their convenient deflection in cleaning substantially as described.

CHARLES E. HERSHBERGER. \Vitness es:

CLARK GROVE, EMMERT O. BERRY. 

